Conveyor device, especially suspended conveyor device

ABSTRACT

The invention proposes a suspension-type conveying arrangement in the case of which conveyable-article carriers ( 1 ) are supported, by way of running rollers ( 9 ) on guide rails ( 3 ) for movement along a conveying route. Arranged on a drag chain/drive chain ( 15 ) guided along the conveying route are driver elements ( 17 ), preferably brush elements ( 17 ), which can be moved between a driving position and a non-driving position. The invention proposes various concepts in order, in the case of a build-up of conveyable-article carriers ( 1 ), to transfer the driver elements ( 17 ) into the non-driving position, with the result that they act on the built-up conveyable-article carriers ( 1 ) at most to a slight extent, if at all. In the driving position, it is possible for driver elements ( 17 ) to act on the conveyable-article carriers ( 1 ) in order to drive them along the conveying route.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a National Stage entry of International ApplicationNo. PCT/EP01/07192, filed Jun. 25, 2001, the entire specification claimsand drawings of which are incorporated herewith by reference.

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a conveying arrangement, in particularsuspension-type conveying arrangement, having rails for guidingconveyable-article carriers, equipped with running rollers, along aconveying route, having a drive belt which is driven in circulationabout diverting means, is guided along the conveying route, at least incertain regions, by means of a guide arrangement and has driver elementswhich are arranged on it and, in a driving position, are suitable, andenvisaged, for driving rail-guided conveyable-article carriers along theconveying route, and having means for stopping conveyable-articlecarriers in a build-up region of the conveying route as the drive beltcontinues running.

A generic suspension-type conveying arrangement of the type mentionedabove is described, for example, in EP 0 516 971 B1. In the case of thisknown conveying arrangement, the conveyable-article carriers have tworunning rollers which are arranged in a rotatable manner at the free legends of a V-shaped or U-shaped bracket and are oriented obliquely inrelation to one another, with the result that they can roll on therunning surfaces of a gable-roof-like guide rail along a relevantconveying route, the bracket extending beneath the running rail. Theknown suspension-type conveying arrangement has, as drive belt, a platelink chain which is guided in a chain guide along the conveying route.For coupling the conveyable-article carriers to the drive chain, use ismade of driver fingers which are provided at certain intervals on thedrive chain, the driver fingers projecting laterally from the drivechain, in a direction transverse to the running direction of theconveyable-article carriers, and into the path of the conveyable-articlecarriers. If the drive chain is then driven in order to move along theconveying route, a respective driver finger can act on aconveyable-article carrier which may be present on the guide rail, andpush or drive it along the conveying route, the conveyable-articlecarrier being guided on the guide rail by way of its running rollers.The driver fingers are individual, inherently elastic flat-bar elementswhich are made of plastic, can be deflected with yielding action and areconnected, via a region of increased elasticity, to a respectivedriver-retaining part of the drive chain. The elasticity of a respectivedriver finger is intended to ensure certain damping, in the case of thedriver finger acting on the conveyable-article carrier, if the driverfinger comes into contact with a stop region provided rigidly on theconveyable-article carrier. Furthermore, it is possible for a relevantelastic driver finger, in the case of the conveyable-article carrierstopping as the drive chain continues to run, to be deflected to theextent where it disengages from the conveyable-article carrier, with theresult that, in a situation where the conveyable-article carriers buildup, the drive belt can continue running without the relevantconveyable-article carriers or driver fingers being destroyed. However,each time a driver finger passes as the drive chain continues running, aconveyable-article carrier which has been stopped or is located in abuilt-up formation, is subjected to contact impact. This may result inundesired vibrations, in increased wear to elements of the conveyingarrangement and in the development of aggravating noise. It is also thecase that it is not possible for the abovementioned disadvantageouseffects to be prevented by the elasticity of the driver fingers.

Also known are suspension-type conveying arrangements of the typementioned in the introduction in the case of which brush elements arespaced apart from one another at certain intervals on a drive belt inthe form of a drive chain, the brush elements serving as driver elementsfor driving conveyable-article carriers. As in the case of the driverfinger described with reference to EP 0 516 971 B1, the bristles of thebrush elements are also intended to provide damping action in the caseof the driver elements acting on a conveyable-article carrier in orderto drive it along the conveying route. In the case of intended orunintended stoppage of the conveyable-article carriers, however, it isalso the case that such brush elements subject the conveyable-articlecarriers to contact impact, this resulting in corresponding vibrationwith the disadvantages which have already been described above.

German patent application 100 05 646 describes a suspension-typeconveying arrangement with brush elements on a drive chain for drivingconveyable-article carriers, said conveying arrangement having thespecial feature that the conveyable-article carriers have pivotablecoupling elements in order to be subjected to the action of the brushelements. Build-up formation results in the coupling elements of theconveyable-article carriers which come into contact with one anotherbeing pivoted, under the build-up pressure, into a passive position, inwhich they are not engaged by the brush elements of the continuing drivechain, with the result that the above-mentioned contact impact islargely avoided.

The object of the invention is to demonstrate further ways in which, inthe case of a conveying arrangement of the type mentioned in theintroduction, impact loading of the conveyable-article carriers in thecase of a build-up can be at least largely avoided.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, in order to achievethis object, it is proposed that the conveying arrangement haveposition-changing means which can be activated in a controlled mannerand are intended for transferring driver elements of the drive belt fromtheir driving position into a non-driving position in the build-upregion, it being possible for the driver elements located in thenon-driving position, if appropriate, only to engage with a slightdegree of coupling, if at all, and with easily yielding action withbuilt-up conveyable-article carriers.

The driver elements transferred into the non-driving position, in thebuild-up region, are guided past built-up conveyable-article carrierssuch that they subject the conveyable-article carriers, at most, toextremely weak contact impact, if any at all.

It is thus possible to have built-up operation which does not adverselyeffect the conveying arrangement as the drive belt continues running.

The advantages of the invention are still utilized even when individualdriver elements cannot be shifted into the non-driving position or, intheir non-driving position, nevertheless come into contact with built-upconveyable-article carriers.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, theposition-changing means comprise controllable means for changing theguide path of the drive belt in a reversible manner, said controllablemeans being designed for diverting the drive belt in the build-up regionof the conveying route optionally from a path in which the driverelements are guided into the driving position into a path in which thedriver elements are guided into the non-driving position. Thisconfiguration of the invention makes it possible to divert the drivebelt in the build-up region if required, with the result that driverelements can pass the build-up region along the conveying route withoutactively engaging with built-up conveyable-article carriers. Accordingto a variant of this embodiment of the invention, the deflecting meansare configured such that they keep the drive belt away from built-upconveyable-article carriers, over more or less the entire length of thebuild-up region, to the extent where the driver elements, in thebuild-up region, can only act, at most, to a slight extent, if at all,and with yielding action on the conveyable-article carriers. In order todisperse a build-up of conveyable-article carriers, the deflecting meanscan be controlled such that they guide the drive belt again so thatdriver elements can engage with conveyable-article carriers in order todrive them.

According to a further variant of the configuration of the inventionmentioned above, it is provided that the means for changing the guidepath in the build-up region are arranged, and can be activated, alongthe conveying route such that they divert the drive belt, atpredetermined locations of the conveying route, into the path in whichthe driver elements are guided into the non-driving position, saidpredetermined locations corresponding to the locations in which, in theevent of a build-up of conveyable-article carriers, are located thoseregions of the conveyable-article carriers which are to be subjected tothe action of the driver elements for the driving coupling betweenconveyable-article carriers and drive belts. Once these locations havebeen bypassed, the drive belt is diverted in the opposite directionagain in each case and guided normally along the conveying route. In thecase of such a locally restricted redirection of the drive belt, thedriver elements in each case bypass the stop regions of theconveyable-article carriers in the build-up. In order to disperse abuild-up, the effect of diverting the drive belt is reversed again, withthe result that driver elements can then engage with the previouslybuilt-up conveyable-article carriers in order to drive them. Accordingto a development of the last-mentioned variant of the invention, themeans for changing the guide path have deflecting guide elements whichdeflect the drive belt locally in a guided manner from the path in whichthe driver elements are guided into the driving position into a path inwhich the driver elements are guided into the non-driving position, itbeing possible for the deflecting guide elements, in a respectivedisplacement region, to be displaced in a controlled manner along theconveying route in order to vary the respective location of thedeflection of the drive belt. The deflecting guide elements canpreferably be displaced in each case between two end positions in thelongitudinal direction of the conveying route, one of these endpositions corresponding to a position in which a stop region of aconveyable-article carrier located in the build-up is bypassed, whereasthe other end position is selected such that the abovementioned bypassis eliminated and the driver elements can engage with the stop regionsof the conveyable-article carriers again.

The invention preferably relates, in all configurations, to asuspension-type conveying arrangement with conveyable-article carrierswhich have at least one running-gear mechanism with a V-shaped orU-shaped bracket, running rollers being arranged in a rotatable mannerat the free leg ends of the bracket and being oriented obliquely inrelation to one another, with the result that they can roll on runningsurfaces of gable-roof-like guide rails along a relevant conveyingroute, the bracket extending beneath the guide rail. Theconveyable-article carriers in question here preferably comprise atleast two running-gear mechanisms of the abovementioned type, which areconnected to one another at their bottom ends by a carrying rod forconveyable articles, the conveyable-article carriers preferably being ofthe same dimensions and, in particular at a predetermined location oftheir longitudinal extent, having a stop region for driver elements ofthe drive belt. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,the drive-belt guide is configured in relation to the extent of theguide rails such that a respective driver element guided into thedriving position can engage behind a respective rail-guidedconveyable-article carrier on the bracket leg of a running-gearmechanism in order to drive the same along the conveying route.

According to a particularly preferred configuration of the invention, inall the embodiments, the drive belt is a drive chain, in particularplate link chain, with driver elements arranged thereon. The driverelements located in the driving position project, for example, laterallyfrom the drive chain (conveying chain), with the result that they extendinto the path of the rail-guided conveyable-article carriers in order tobe able to engage with conveyable-article carriers. The driver elementsare preferably driver fingers which can be deflected with elasticyielding action. These should be of such a nature that, after overcominga certain opposing force, they can move away from a conveyable-articlecarrier which has been blocked unintentionally, for example, outside abuild-up region, and can overcome engagement with the conveyable-articlecarrier, without causing spontaneous damage.

The driver fingers may be combined in groups to form driver brushes, thedriver-brush elements preferably being arranged on the drive belt suchthat they follow equidistantly one after the other.

In an alternative configuration, the drive belt could be provided withdriver bristles without any significant spacings being formedtherebetween.

According to a further preferred configuration of the invention, thedriver elements are mounted on the drive belt such that they can bemoved relative to the drive belt between the driving position and thenon-driving position. In the case of such a solution, there is thus noneed to influence the drive-belt guidance in order to transfer driverelements, in the case of a build-up of conveyable-article carriers, intothe non-driving position, in which they can undergo coupling orengagement with relevant conveyable-article carriers at most to a slightextent, if at all. Rather, the driver elements are transferred into thenon-driving position by the driver elements being moved relative to thedrive belt. For this purpose, it is provided that the position-changingmeans, which can be activated in a controlled manner, have positionguiding elements which are arranged at least in certain sections alongthe build-up region and are designed for influencing driver elements,which are carried along the conveying route by the drive belt, such thatthe driver elements are transferred from the driving position into thenon-driving position at least at predetermined locations along thebuild-up region.

The position guiding elements are preferably cam elements against whichthe driver elements moved along by the drive belt butt or are supported(if appropriate under spring prestressing). In accordance with thecourse taken by the cam or cams, driver elements can thus be movedbetween their driving position and their non-driving position.

Cam sections are provided in the build-up region, at least at certainlocations, and result in the driver elements being transferred into thenon-driving position. These certain locations are the locations atwhich, in the event of a build-up, are located stop regions of theconveyable-article carriers for the driving coupling by driver elements.These stop regions are thus bypassed by the driver elements. Aswitchable stopper element is usually provided at the front end of thebuild-up region, this stopper element, in its active position,constituting a barrier for the conveyable-article carriers. The camsections can preferably be displaced in a controlled manner in theconveying direction and/or transversely thereto in order to varyconditions for the engagement between driver elements andconveyable-article carriers, for example for the purpose of dispersing abuild-up again once the stopper element has been transferred into thepassive position.

The driver elements may be arranged in a pivotable manner on the drivebelt. In another configuration, it is possible for the driver elementsto be arranged on the drive belt such that they can be linearlydisplaced transversely to the respective direction of the conveyingroute.

Within the context of the invention, it may be provided that separatedriver elements always remain in the driving position or, even in theirnon-driving position, can produce easily yielding engagement withconveyable-article carriers or a slight degree of coupling withconveyable-article carriers, whereas the driver elements locatedtherebetween bypass the conveyable-article carriers in their non-drivingposition.

The invention also relates, under a further aspect, to a conveyingarrangement, in particular suspension-type conveyor arrangement, havingrails for guiding conveyable-article carriers, equipped with runningrollers, along a conveying route, having a drive belt which is guided,at least in certain regions, along the conveying route and has driverelements which are arranged on it and, in a driving position, aresuitable, and envisaged, for driving rail-guided conveyable-articlecarriers. In order to achieve the abovementioned object, this conveyingarrangement is characterized in that the driver elements on the drivebelt can be transferred in each case from the driving position into anon-driving position, and in that each driver element is assigned arespective build-up sensor which is carried along on the drive belt andis intended for detecting built-up conveyable-article carriers, thebuild-up sensors being designed for transferring the driver elementsassigned to them into the non-driving position directly, or possiblyindirectly via a controlled arrangement, when a buildup ofconveyable-article carriers is detected.

Each build-up sensor preferably has a contour-follower element which ismounted on the drive belt such that it can be moved between a normalposition, which corresponds with the driving position of the associateddriver element, and a yielding position, which corresponds with thenon-driving position of the driver element, the contour-follower elementhaving a cam section by means of which it extends, in the normalposition, into the path of conveyable-article carriers guided by railsalong the conveying route, with the result that, when the cam sectioncomes into contact with a group of built-up conveyable-article carriers,the contour-follower element can move away from contours of theconveyable-article carriers, in a controlled manner, into the yieldingposition in order to transfer the associated driver element into thenon-driving position, and to keep it in the non-driving position untilit has been moved past the group of built-up conveyable-articlecarriers.

The driver elements are preferably arranged directly on thecontour-follower elements. According to one embodiment of the invention,the contour-follower elements are arranged on the drive belt by means ofa pivoting mount such that they can be pivoted between the normalposition and the yielding position. It is possible here for thecontour-follower elements to be mounted in a pivotable manner on thedrive belt such that the pivot pins, in accordance with the respectivecourse taken by the conveying route, are oriented parallel or (in thecase of the course taken by the conveying route being closed)tangentially to the conveying route, the pivoting mounts being mountedon the drive belt such that the contour-follower elements are loaded,under the action of gravitational force, in the direction of theirnormal position.

In the case of all of the configurations of the present invention, thedrive belt is preferably a drive chain, in particular plate link chain.

The driver elements are preferably driver fingers which can be deflectedwith elastic yielding action. Driver elements in the form of brushelements with driver bristles are particularly preferred.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detailhereinbelow with reference to the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a suspension-type conveying arrangement according to theinvention, illustrated partly in cross section, with aconveyable-article carrier in rear view,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of two adjacent conveyable-articlecarriers butting against one another in a build-up position, drive meansnot having been illustrated,

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a section of the chain-guiding arrangementof a conveying arrangement according to the invention in a partlyschematic illustration,

FIG. 4a shows an enlarged illustration of a region from FIG. 3 whichcomprises a deflecting guide element,

FIG. 4b shows an illustration corresponding to FIG. 4a, although thedeflecting guide element is shown in a different position,

FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration for the purpose of explaining asecond exemplary embodiment according to the invention,

FIG. 6 shows a section of a drive chain with brush elements of a thirdexemplary embodiment, in plan view,

FIG. 7 shows in a view corresponding to FIG. 1 a further exemplaryembodiment according to the invention,

FIG. 8 shows four situations of a contour-follower element of theexemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7 coming together withconveyable-article carriers, the contour-follower element beingillustrated in each case in a side view in a direction transverse to theconveying direction, and

FIG. 9 shows a variant of a contour-follower element as can be used forthe exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 shows a conveyable-article carrier 1, in rear view, on a runningrail 3, which is illustrated in cross section. The conveyable-articlecarrier 1 comprises two running-gear mechanisms 5, which are connectedto one another at their bottom ends by a common conveyable-articlecarrying rod 7 (see also FIG. 2). Of the running-gear mechanisms 5located one behind the other on the running rail 3, only one, namely therear running-gear mechanism 5, can be seen in the view according to FIG.1. The running-gear mechanisms 5, which correspond to one another, havea respective V-shaped bracket 4 which, in the intended conveyingposition on the running rail 3, extends beneath the running rail 3, withthe result that the two running rollers 9, which are mounted at the legends of the bracket 4 and are oriented obliquely in relation to oneanother, can roll with their running surfaces 11 on the complementaryguide surfaces 13 of the running rail 3. Each running-gear mechanism 5is thus supported in a suspended manner on the running rail 3 by meansof the running rollers 9 and can be displaced along a conveying route,corresponding to the course taken by the running rail 3, in order totransport conveyable articles. Conveyable-article carriers of the typeshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be used, for example, in the clothingindustry in order to transport items of clothing on clothes hangershanging on the carrying rod 7 of a relevant conveyable-article carrier1.

In the case of the conveying arrangement according to FIG. 1, the drivemeans of conveyable-article carriers 1 which is provided is a drive beltin the form of a conveying chain or drive chain 15 with driver elementsin the form of brushes 17 arranged thereon such that they follow oneafter the other. The chain 15 normally runs in a chain guide 19 alongthe running rail 3 and is driven in circulation as an endless loop by adriving gearwheel (not shown). As is illustrated in FIG. 1, the bristles21 of the brush element 17 project from the bristle carriers 23transversely to the running direction of the conveyable-article carrier1 in the region of the conveying route. The bristle carriers 23 arefastened on the drive chain 15. FIG. 1 only shows one of a plurality ofbrush elements 17 which are provided at intervals from one another alongthe chain 15. The bristles 21 of a relevant brush element 17 normallyengage with a stop region 25 of the conveyable-article carrier 1 inorder to drive the conveyable-article carrier 1 along the conveyingroute as the drive chain 15 runs. In the case of the example, the stopregions are a rear surface region of the leg 6 of the running-gearmechanism bracket 4. Should unintended blockage of a conveyable-articlecarrier 1 take place on the conveying route, then, after overcoming anopposing force, the bristles 21 of the brush element 17 can move awayfrom the leg 6 and spring past the bracket 4. To this extent,safety-clutch conditions are provided in respect of the mutualengagement between conveyable-article carrier 1 and driver element 17.If, however, in the case of relatively frequent build-ups, the brackets4 of conveyable-article carriers 1 are subjected to regular contactimpact by driver elements 17, then signs of wear on theconveyable-article carriers, on the drive means or on the guide railcannot be avoided over the long term. Furthermore, such contact impactresults in the conveying arrangement being noisy to operate, which is tobe avoided.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration, in plan view, of a section of thechain-guiding arrangement of a conveying arrangement according to theinvention. Only certain sections of the drive chain 15 with brushelements 17 are illustrated in FIG. 3, although the chain 15 runscontinuously throughout and is equipped, over its entire chain length,with brush elements 17 preferably arranged at essentially equalintervals.

Conveyable-article carriers 1 are indicated schematically by brokenlines in FIG. 3, 25 indicating stop regions of the conveyable-articlecarriers 1 for the brush elements 17. It is assumed that theconveyable-article carriers 1 in FIG. 3 are guided on a guide rail (notshown in FIG. 3) running in the conveying direction 28. In theillustration according to FIG. 3, the conveyable-article carriers 1 havebeen built up in a build-up region of the conveying route, a stopperelement 29 having been introduced into the path of theconveyable-article carriers 1 in order to form the build-up.

By virtue of the stopper element 29 being activated, means for changingthe guide path of the conveying chain, namely deflecting guide elements30, have been activated by a control arrangement (not shown) in orderfor the chain 15 in the regions S to be deflected, and moved away, fromthe relevant conveyable-article carriers and/or the guide rail, in adirection transverse to the conveying direction 28, such that the brushelements 17, at the location S, transfer from their driving positioninto the non-driving position. The locations S correspond to thelocations at which, in the event of a build-up, stop regions 25 of theconveyable-article carriers 1 are located. Since the conveyable-articlecarriers 1 are of the same length and have the stop regions 25 atcorresponding locations of their longitudinal extent, the locations Sare determined relative to the stopper element 29. In the non-drivingposition, the brush elements 17 do not come into active drivingengagement with the built-up conveyable-article carriers 1. It may beprovided that the brush elements 17 located in the non-driving positiondo not come into contact with the conveyable-article carriers 1 at allat the locations S. The advantages of the invention, however, are stillachieved even when there is easily yielding contact between theconveyable-article carriers 1 and the foremost end regions of thebristles.

FIG. 4a illustrates a corresponding plan view, on an enlarged scale, ofa region from FIG. 3 which comprises a deflecting guide element 30. Thedeflecting guide element 30 has a carriage element 32 which can bedisplaced in a guided manner in the longitudinal direction of theconveying route, between two end positions, and contains achain-diverting guide groove 34. The chain-diverting guide groove 34 hasits chain-inlet region 35, which is located at the right-hand end of thecarriage element 32 in FIG. 4a, in alignment with the stationarychain-guiding groove 19, which guides the drive chain 15 in the regionsoutside the deflecting guide elements 30. Starting from the chain-inletregion 35, the chain-diverting guide groove 34, in FIG. 4a, runs to theleft and thus, transversely to the conveying direction 28, away from thebuilt-up conveyable-article carriers 1. In the chain-outlet region 37 atthe left-hand end of the carriage element 32, the chain-diverting guidegroove 34 runs essentially parallel to the conveying direction 28 again,but is offset in relation to the chain-guiding groove 19. Providedopposite the carriage element 32, as seen in the conveying direction, isa stationary diverting element 39, which has a chain-diverting guidegroove 34′ which, in relation to a center plane X between the elements32 and 39, runs mirror-symmetrically to the chain-diverting guide groove34, with the result that the chain section leaving the chain outlet 37of the carriage element 32 in each case runs more or less rectilinearlyinto the chain inlet 41 of the element 39, the chain-guiding groove 34′then guiding the chain into the stationary chain-guiding groove 19again. The chain sections located in each case in the stationary guidegroove 19 or in the aligned sections of the chain-diverting guidegrooves 34, 34′ have brush elements 17 located in the driving position.Of the brush elements illustrated in FIG. 4a, the outer brush elements17B are located in the driving position, whereas the three brushelements 17U located therebetween have been guided into the non-drivingposition by the chain-guiding groove 34, 34′. As the drive chain 15continues running, the brush elements 17 in the region S thus bypass thestop regions 25 of the conveyable-article carriers 1, with the resultthat the built-up conveyable-article carriers 1 are not subjected towear-inducing contact impact by the brush elements 17.

If the build-up of conveyable-article carriers 1 according to FIG. 3 isthen to be eliminated, the stopper element 29 is removed in a controlledmanner from the path of the conveyable-article carriers 1 and,furthermore, the phase relationship between the locations S and thefront end of the build-up, defined by the stopper element 29, iseliminated in that the control arrangement (not shown) activates adisplacement drive of the carriage elements 32, which displaces therespective carriage element 32 from the position according to FIG. 4ainto the other end position according to FIG. 4b. In the positionaccording to FIG. 4b, brush elements 17 come into driving engagementwith stop regions 25 of the previously built-up conveyable-articlecarriers 1, with the result that the conveyable-article carriers 1 aretransported in the conveying direction 28. According to a variant of theexemplary embodiment from FIGS. 1 to 4 b, the conveying direction may bereversible.

According to a variant of the embodiment of the deflecting guide element30 from FIGS. 3, 4 a and 4 b, it may be provided that the element 39 canalso be displaced in a controllable manner in the conveying direction. Apneumatic piston/cylinder drive means is preferably used as displacementdrive for the carriage element 32. Said drive means may be configuredsuch that it displaces all the carriage elements 32 of a build-up regionsimultaneously from one end position into the other end position.Alternatively, it may be provided that the displacement drive for thecarriage elements 32 can be activated such that carriage elements 32 ofa build-up region are moved by it one after the other with a delay fromthe end position according to FIG. 4a into the end position according toFIG. 4b, for example in order for the conveyable-article carriers 1,which follow directly one after the other in the built-up formation, tobe separated from one another as they leave the latter.

A resilient tensioning station, for example, may perform the task ofcompensating for chain length during the transfer from one end positionof the carriage element 32 into the other end position.

A basic principle of a second exemplary embodiment of the invention willbe explained hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows a highlyschematic and simplified illustration of a section of the drive belt 15extending along the conveying route. Driver elements 17 are mounted in apivotable manner on the drive belt 15, with the result that they can bepivoted relative to the drive belt 15, about the pivot pins P, betweenthe driving position and the non-driving position. In contrast to theconcept of the first exemplary embodiment, rather than the drive belt asa whole being deflected in order to transfer driver elements into thenon-driving position, the driver elements 17 are moved relative to thedrive belt 15, which is moved along the conveying route, in order topass into the non-driving position. In the case of the example of FIG.5, the driver elements 17 have a respective cam follower 50, by means ofwhich they can follow a cam 52 of a position guiding element 54. The cam52 normally runs at a certain lateral distance X from the drive belt 15along the conveying route, as is illustrated in the top part of FIG. 5.In such normal regions of the conveying route, the cam 52 supports thedriver elements 17 on the cam followers 50 such that the driver elements17 are forcibly guided into the driving position during movement alongthe conveying route. FIG. 5 illustrates the driver element 17′ in thesituation in which it has been forcibly guided into the driving positionby the cam 52, with the result that it can come into driving engagementwith the stop region 25 of a conveyable-article carrier 1 (which is onlyindicated).

In the build-up regions of the conveying route, the cam 52 of anassociated position guiding element 54 takes a course as can be seen,for example, in the bottom part of FIG. 5. In the region of the locationS, at which, in the event of a build-up, the stop region 25 of aconveyable-article carrier 1 is normally located, the cam 52 is spacedapart from the drive belt 15 by a greater distance Y. This results in itbeing possible for driver elements 17 to be pivoted in thecounterclockwise direction, about the pivot pin P, during transfer intosuch a section of the conveying route, with the result that they canpass into the non-driving position, as is shown for the driver element17″ in FIG. 5. It is obvious that, as movement continues in theconveying direction 28, the driver element 17″ is forced, by the cam 52,into the driving position, in which the driver element 17′ is alreadylocated.

The position guiding element 54 can preferably be displaced in acontrolled manner along the conveying route between two end positions,with the result that, by virtue of the region 56 of the cam 52 beingdisplaced, it is possible to produce the state, for the driver elements17, where the latter can engage again with conveyable-article carrierswhich, in the built-up formation, have previously been bypassed bydriver elements.

According to a variant of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5,it may be provided that a relevant position guiding element 54, at leastin certain sections, can be laterally shifted away from the drive belt15, and shifted towards the same again, in a controlled manner in orderto introduce the driver elements 17 into a desired position (drivingposition or non-driving position).

In the case of the example according to FIG. 5, the pivot pins P of thedriver elements 17 run orthogonally to the drive belt 15. When theconveying route runs horizontally, the pivot pins P are locatedvertically. According to variants of the embodiment from FIG. 5, it maybe provided that the pivot pins of the relevant driver elements 17 areoriented differently, for example in the conveying direction of thedrive belt 15.

Further variants of the concept indicated in FIG. 5 for controlling thedriver elements are conceivable. For example, it may be provided thatdriver elements 17 are normally locked in their driving position on thedrive belt by means of a locking arrangement, it being possible toprovide, in build-up regions of the conveying route, cam elements or thelike which can release the locking and reinstate it.

A third exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explainedhereinbelow with reference to FIG. 6. Elements of this exemplaryembodiment which correspond in functional terms to elements of theexemplary embodiments which have already been described are providedwith the same designations, so reference can largely be made to thedescription of the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 5. Thethird exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 6 may be regarded as avariant of the concept described with reference to FIG. 5. In contrastto the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5, however, the driverelements 17 of the third exemplary embodiment, rather than beingarticulated in a pivotable manner on the drive belt 15, are guided onthe drive belt 15 such that they can be linearly displaced, transverselyto the conveying direction, in a relevant linear guide, with the resultthat they can be displaced between the driving position (see the driverelements 17′ in FIG. 6) and the non-driving position (see the driverelement 17″ in FIG. 6). The driver elements 17 are preferablyprestressed resiliently in the direction of a position, which may alsobe the case for the driver elements 17 in FIG. 5. In the case of thethird exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 6, the driver elements 17are controlled in accordance with the principle explained in FIG. 5,that is to say by means of cam sections or cam elements, which are notdepicted in FIG. 6.

A fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained withreference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In the case of the fourth exemplaryembodiment, the driver elements 17 (brush elements) are fastened on arespective build-up sensor 60, which is fitted in a pivotable manner onthe drive belt 15 (drive chain 15) by means of a pivoting mount 62. Thepivot pin P runs in the conveying direction in each-case. As can be seenfrom FIG. 7, the chain guide 19, with the drive chain 15 guided thereinand with the articulation arrangement for the pivoting mount 62, islocated above the rail-guided conveyable-article carriers 1. Therespective pivoting mount 62 is a lever which is mounted such that itcan be pivoted about the pivot pin P and, at its free end, has aplate-like contour-follower element which forms the build-up sensor 60.A driver element in the form of a brush element 17 is fastened on thatside of the contour-follower plate 60 which is directed away from thepivot pin P. On account of the gravitational force, the pivoting mountis subjected to a torque which loads the driver element 17 in thedirection of its driving position according to FIG. 7. It would beconceivable to use a force of a spring or the like to assist the actionof gravitational force. Alternatively, it would be possible for acontour-follower element of modified arrangement to be loaded possiblyexclusively on account of spring prestressing in the direction of aposition which corresponds with the driving position of the driverelement.

In the case of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7, the driverelement 17, which has been pivoted into its lowest, driving position,can engage with the top end of the leg 6 of a relevantconveyable-article carrier 1 in order to drive the conveyable-articlecarrier 1 in the conveying direction. It has been found to beadvantageous to allow the driver brushes to act on top regions of theconveyable-article carriers, in order to avoid moments which couldresult in a tendency to raise the conveyable-article carriers 1 relativeto the running rail 3. According to alternative variants of the examplefrom FIG. 7, it may be provided that the driver elements are arranged insome other way on the contour-follower element, and are orienteddifferently, relative to the conveyable-article carriers engaged bythem, than is illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, it may also beprovided for the arrangement to be such that the driver brush arrangedon a contour-follower element 60 can engage with a relevantconveyable-article carrier with bristles oriented upward, the point ofengagement being located possibly in a region of the conveyable-articlecarrier which is located at a lower level than is illustrated in FIG. 7.

In order to explain the functioning of the build-up sensors formed ascontour-follower plates 60, reference will be made hereinbelow to FIG.8, in which are illustrated schematically four different situations A-Dof conveyable-article carriers 1 and contour-follower plates 60, whichare carried along in the conveying direction by the drive belt, comingtogether, said conveyable-article carriers being supported on a guiderail (not shown) by way of their running rollers 9. The illustrations inFIG. 8 show a side view corresponding to the viewing direction indicatedat VIII in FIG. 7. The conveyable-article carriers are indicatedsymbolically in FIG. 8 by an illustration of the top part of arunning-gear mechanism 5. The conveyable-article carriers may be of sucha nature that they essentially comprise only one such running-gearmechanism 5 with means for fitting conveyable articles. As has alreadybeen mentioned, it is also possible for conveyable-article carriers tocomprise a plurality of running-gear mechanisms 5 connected to oneanother by carrying rods or the like.

A in FIG. 8 indicates the situation in which the contour-follower plate60 approaches a conveyable-article carrier 1 in the conveying direction28. The contour-follower plate 60 has a cam section 64, which leads inrelation to the driver element 17 and has a front oblique surface 66which, as the contour-follower plate 60 moves closer to theconveyable-article carrier 1, comes into contact with a running roller 9of the conveyable-article carrier 1. The interaction between thefurther-advanced contour-follower plate 60 and the running roller 9results in the contour-follower plate 60 pivoting about the pivot pin P(see FIG. 7), in which case the plate 60, with the driver element 17fastened thereon, is raised. In this case, the force to which theconveyable-article carrier subjected by the drive belt is still notlarge enough for the conveyable-article carrier 1 to be driven reliablyin the conveying direction.

B in FIG. 8 indicates the situation where the contour-follower plate 60is in its raised state, with the result that the driver element 17fastened thereon is in its non-driving position. The contour-followerplate 60 rests on the roller 9 by way of the lowermost border contour68.

As operation continues, the leading cam section 64 overtakes the runningroller 9, with the result that a central cam section 67 comes intocontact with the running roller 9 of the conveyable-article carrier 1(situation C). Since the central cam section 67 is set back relative tothe lowermost border contour 68 in the manner of a recess in thecontour-follower plate 60, the contour-follower plate 60 can pivot backinto the original position again.

The driver element 17 is offset to the rear relative to the center ofthe contour-follower plate 60, with the result that it can engage withthe leg 6 of the conveyable-article carrier 1 once the roller 9 of theconveyable-article carrier has come into contact with the central camsection 67 and the contour-follower plate 60 has resumed its lowerpivoting position, which corresponds with the driving position of thedriver element 17. The situation C in FIG. 8 corresponds to the normalconveying situation of a conveyable-article carrier 1 which is drivenalong the conveying route by a driver element 17.

Situation D in FIG. 8 arises in the event of a buildup ofconveyable-article carriers 1. In the built-up formation, successiveconveyable-article carriers 1 butt against one another, this determiningthe distance between their running rollers 9 in the conveying direction.The contour-follower plate 60 has a cam section 70, which tails inrelation to the driver element 17 and of which the lowermost bordercontour 72 is located at the same level as the border contour 68 of theleading cam section 64. The distance between the leading cam section 64and the trailing cam section 70 is coordinated with the distance betweenthe running rollers 9 of two abutting conveyable-article carriers 1 suchthat the rear conveyable-article carrier 1 _(h), as seen in theconveying direction, reaches the rear horizontal border-contour section72, by way of its running roller 9, before the conveyable-articlecarrier 1 _(v) located in front, as seen in the conveying direction,leaves the front horizontal border-contour section 68 in the directionof the central cam section 67 as the contour-follower plate 60 continuesmoving. The length of the central cam section 67, as measured in theconveying direction, is thus less than the distance between the rollers9, which come into contact with the contour-follower plate 60, ofconveyable-article carriers 1 following one after the other in thebuilt-up formation. This results in the contour-follower plate 60remaining in the raised pivoting position as it moves past the built-upconveyable-article carriers 1, with the result that the relevant driverelement 17 is retained in the corresponding non-driving position.

Preferably provided at the beginning of a build-up region of theconveying route is a switchable stopper element which, in its activeswitching position, extends into the path of the conveyable-articlecarriers, and into the path of the contour-follower elements, such that,on the one hand, it constitutes a barrier for the conveyable-articlecarriers 1 and, on the other hand, it results in it being possible forthe contour-follower elements 60, in the raised pivoting position, torun past the stopper element in order then to transfer into the lowerpivoting position again.

It is preferable for at least individual driver elements 17 to bearranged on the pivoting mount 62 such that, even in the non-drivingposition, they can produce a slight degree of coupling or engagementwith conveyable-article carriers 1, which are guided by rails along theconveying route, in order to ensure that a build-up ofconveyable-article carriers is dispersed automatically once the stopperelement has been drawn back into the passive position. It may thus beprovided, for example, that every tenth driver element, even in itsnon-driving position, can engage (with a slight degree of coupling) withconveyable-article carriers, whereas the driver elements locatedtherebetween cannot produce any coupling with conveyable-articlecarriers 1 in their non-driving position. Within the context of theinvention, it may also be provided that individual driver elementsalways remain in the driving position, while the driver elementsprovided between such driver elements can assume the non-drivingposition, if required, in the manner described.

An advantage of the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8 isthat the drive uncoupling functions automatically even when build-up isformed by chance, since the contour-follower elements 60 switch thedriver elements 17 into the passive state whenever the contour overwhich they pass corresponds to the contour of a group of at least twoconveyable-article carriers butting against one another in a built-upformation.

According to a variant of the exemplary embodiment from FIGS. 7 and 8,the contour-follower elements may comprise rotatably mounted rollers 80,as is indicated in FIG. 9. As they overtake conveyable-article carriers1, these rollers 80 come into contact, on their circumferential regions,with the rollers of the conveyable-article carriers 1, in which casethey can execute a rotary movement. The solution according to FIG. 9makes it possible for the contour-follower elements 60 to move past theconveyable-article carriers 1 with a lower level of friction.

The exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8 can be realized infurther variants. For example, it is conceivable for thecontour-follower elements 60 to come into contact, not with rollers ofconveyable-article carriers 1, but with other predetermined contourregions which, in the event of a build-up, provide a defined distancebetween successive conveyable-article carriers, this distance and thedistance between the leading cam section and the trailing cam section ofthe contour-follower element being coordinated with one another in themanner described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A conveying arrangement, in particular asuspension-type conveying arrangement, having rails (3) for guidingconveyable-article carriers (1), equipped with running rollers (9),along a conveying route, having a drive belt (15) which is driven incirculation about diverting means, is guided along the conveying route,at least in certain regions, by means of a guide arrangement (19) andhas driver elements (17) which are arranged on it and, in a drivingposition, are suitable, and envisaged, for driving rail-guidedconveyable-article carriers (1) along the conveying route, and havingmeans (29) for stopping conveyable-article carriers in a build-up regionof the conveying route as the drive belt (15) continues running, itbeing the case that the conveying arrangement has position-changingmeans which can be activated in a controlled manner and are intended fortransferring driver elements (17) of the drive belt (15) from theirdriving position into a non-driving position in the build-up region, itbeing possible for the driver elements (17) located in the non-drivingposition, if appropriate, only to engage to a slight extent, if at alland the easily yielding action with built-up conveyable-article carriers(1), characterized in that the position-changing means have controllablemeans for changing the guide path of the drive belt (15) which aredesigned for diverting the drive belt (15) in the build-up region of theconveying route optionally from a path in which the driver elements areguided into the driving position into a path in which the driverelements are guided into the non-driving position.
 2. The conveyingarrangement as claimed in claim 1, the conveyable-article carriers (1)having stop regions (25) which may be subjected to the action of driverelements (17) for the driving coupling between conveyable-articlecarriers (1) and drive belt (15), characterized in that the means forchanging the guide path in the build-up region are arranged, and can beactivated along the conveying route such that they divert the drive belt(15) at predetermined locations, into the path in which the driverelements (17) are guided into the non-driving position, thepredetermined locations corresponding to the locations at which, in theevent of a build-up of conveyable-article carriers (1), the stop regions(25) of the built-up conveyable-article carriers (1) are located.
 3. Theconveying arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that themeans for changing the guide path have deflecting guide elements (30)which deflect the drive belt (15) locally in a guided manner into a pathin which the driver elements (17) are guided into the non-drivingposition, and in that the deflecting guide elements (30), in arespective displacement region, comprise parts (32), which can bedisplaced in a controlled manner along the conveying route, in order tovary the respective location of the deflection of the drive belt (15).4. The conveying arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized inthat the driver elements (17) have driver fingers which can be deflectedwith elastic yielding action.
 5. The conveying arrangement as claimed inclaim 1, characterized in that the driver elements (17) comprise brushelements with driver bristles.
 6. The conveyable-article carrier asclaimed in claim 1, characterized in that individual driver elementsalways remain in the driving position.